How to Cheat in Photoshop

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Posted on 11/03/11 08:58:59 AM

Steve Caplin
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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Much ingenuity and imagination this week - and some truly hair-raising courses.

Eva Roth has a hare-racing course, with an animation that alternates between just two shots of the animal in motion. It never fails to amaze me how little is needed to give the impression of movement - the impression of perspective, though, is another matter. Perhaps your hare should get smaller as it recedes into the distance?

I have absolutely no idea what kind of creature tedavies13 photographed in Orlando... but then it's amazing what crawls out of those swamps. It's a great beast, and I like the way it's chewed off the top of the flag. The shadow is too fuzzy, though: just a slight touch of shadow (it was an overcast day) under each foot, is all that's required.

A splendid obstacle course from tooquilos - and as usual, I examine the still version in detail first. Plenty going on here! One thing bothers me: the golfer is right next to the tree, but all the branches are behind him... doesn't look possible to me. So, on to the animated version... brilliant! The knee-flexing on the golfer is subtle, and that walking tree is just terrific. Er... the hot air balloon?

A good range of ferocious beasties from Sophie, all fitting well into their surroundings - and a very well-placed stream running straight through the course. The rhino looks particularly threatening!

I like gaoxiguo's mirror image - a very interesting approach. And I like the fact that the two white doves don't line up exactly. But what does this mean? Is it telling a story?

An ingenious distortion from Garfield72, whose giant ripple in the grass presents the golfer with a real problem. It's cunningly achieved, simply by using (I assume) Image Warp: I wouldn't have thought the grass texture on its own would create such a strong effect. Perhaps darkening one side of it would strengthen the 3D feel? And I do like the huge bunker right in front of the hole, although the crass around it looks a little patched in. Very interesting work.

I've noticed that Nick Curtain's entries have been getting more and more subtle lately, and this is no exception: a lake ably suggested by the reflection of the trees behind. I'm glad you placed the reflection of the pole in there, which gives a good sense of perspective. A challenge, indeed!

A particularly tricky course from Ben Mills, with a vast bunker right in the way. What's really clever here is how the whole day has been shifted to bright sunshine, with added shadows from the golfer and the flag and a much warmer tone to the trees. The bunker has been so expertly fitted in that it's impossible to see the joins: and yet we have the sense of the whole course sloping downhill. Absolutely faultless, Ben - a perfect job.

A packed entry from Marty, whose golfer now has to contend with a river right through the middle of the course. Plenty of great added detail here: Tiger Woods, the bunkers, and of course the way the path turns into a bridge over the river. The only thing that seems at odds with the scene is the man in the kayak, who's too big and too narrow. I don't think he was originally part of the river, though: in which case, it should be easy to scale him down so he's the same size as the golfer (he's almost next to the golfer in the scene) and wide enough that he doesn't have to contend with such stubby paddles!

A rare entry from David Asch, who has taken time off from writing books about Photoshop Elements to produce this entertaining montage. A difficult course, indeed! And, while I hate to point out errors in a co-author's work, I'd be letting the side down if I didn't mention that (a) there's shadow on the left of the pillar, but not on the left of the cliff itself, and (b) the sea is a very different colour to the sky. But I'm sure he only put these small mistakes in to test me.

When it comes to distractions, brewell certainly knows how to produce them. As if the troupe of dancing girls wasn't distracting enough, the added squirrels present a real problem - especially the one climbing on the golfer's back. Ingenious! And, frankly, just a little weird. And as Josephine Harvatt so rightly points out, those high heels are a novel way to aerate the lawn.

With so much going on in LonnieK's entry, it takes while to spot the golfer over in the distance. Very nicely judged: sure, in 'reality' he'd be much small than that at this distance, but at the size you've chosen we can still recognise his distinctive clothing and can just make him out. And I like that all the distractions - the birds, the planes, the speedboat - are due to cross the line of sight at exactly the same time. Very nice!

There's something both funny and sad about Josephine Harvatt's entry, with a wall of Berlin proportions perfectly blocking the golfer's view. The wall is beautifully blended into the grass, so it seems to grow up out of it. But what's going on at the end? Why don't the brick courses align? This should have been the easy part!

I don't know how it is that James manages to tell such complex stories inside a GIF animation, but it's a technique he's really mastered. So here we have the golfer making a simple putt, with a mole (actually looks more like a badger) popping up a hole at just the wrong time. So the golfer tries a chip shot - note how he shuffles forwards a little, takes a practice swing, and then the smooth arc of the ball through the air). The ball hits the mole/badger on the head before bouncing into the cup, at which point a thistle sprouts up and the flag lowers to half mast... such a lot of action! Immaculate. This is one to dissect in the next edition of How to Cheat, James, if I have your permission.

Terrific work from puffin31939: the golfer transplanted to the middle of a bunker, surrounded by squirrels (who clearly hoard the walnut-shaped golfballs) and the falcon (hawk? kestrel? eagle?) which appears to have mistaken it for an egg. I really like the sense of depth in this picture, with the foreground activity neatly counterpointed by the golfer and bunker in the middle ground, then set off by the added golfer way off in the distance. This golfer is just a touch too sharp and too highly contrasted: objects lose contrast as they recede. Otherwise, though, this is a very accomplished piece of work, and certainly one to earn you a title. So, your interests and avatar both point to sailing... I think Montage Mariner fits the bill. Good work, Angela.

A great idea from JmarcP, who has added the golfer astronaut to the scene, with the moon's surface making a kind of bunker. All that grey does jump out, though; try copying just the ground to a new layer and changing the mode to Hard Light, so we still see the colour of the grass through it. It might produce an interesting effect.

Very clever work from bjansen, who has transferred the course to a rocky cliff side. The idea is excellent - and I do like the appearance of Nessie in the background - but the strip of land leading to the hole seems just too angular to fit in with that rocky landscape. And perhaps the stone beneath it, forming the bridge, should reach further down at both ends, so it appeared more like a real stone bridge? Just a couple of suggestions.

Some political action from horonggo... it's a great piece of work, but it does depress me that you have to live in such a repressive regime. This picture says a lot about human rights in China... perhaps the power of photomontage will one day be able to change the world.

Very amusing work from tomiloi, who has placed a field of wild flowers directly on top of the course. Now that's going to make things harder! A clever, subtle entry.

Is this the first animated entry from Eggbox? It's a great idea, with the flag rushing to meet the path of the ball. And there's plenty of added detail: the swing of the golf club, the motion of the ball, and the way the flag stretches out as it lags behind the pole... good work, Ted! To answer your specific questions: you have to use frame animation for GIFs, the timeline really only works with proper movies. As for the tweening issue: this works by moving the position of the same layer between frames. Position the golf ball at the start, make a new frame, and move it to the end: tweening will now place as many frames as you want in between.

Great to see the bear from a couple of weeks back making a guest appearance in Deborah Morley's entry. Now there's a golf course that presents a real challenge! The bear's pout is exactly the right size for a golf hole - and that golfer sits neatly on top of that flight of steps. Great.

Amazing lighting from Emil: look how well the spotlight illuminates the golfer, with shadows on the ground and on the man himself, the ground shadows perfectly elongated to match the angle of the light. Very nicely achieved, Emil.

As is so often the case, I'm intrigued but baffled by Jota120's entry. I mean, I get the golfer in the jungle, and I like the gorillas, but why is there a dead man merging into a piece of rock? It's this kind of added detail that makes me think I'm missing something. Of course, there will be an explanation that's perfectly logical - to Trevor, at least.

Posted on 11/03/11 09:01:44 AM

josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer
Posts: 2603

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Thank you Steve - I only noticed the out of alignment bricks when Trevor pointed them out - arrrgh! I think I spent so much time fiddling around with perspective of the main side my eyes went funny

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Posted on 11/03/11 09:14:21 AM

Steve Caplin
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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

josephine harvatt wrote:
I think I spent so much time fiddling around with perspective of the main side my eyes went funny

I can tell that from your avatar.

Posted on 11/03/11 09:14:53 AM

Eggbox
Ovoid Opportunist
Posts: 797

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Thank you Steve. Yes this was my first real animation. I will work on the tweening to get the hang of it.

Ted

Posted on 11/03/11 09:47:43 AM

puffin31939
Montage Mariner
Posts: 383

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Wow! Thanks for the title, Steve. I'm delighted with it.
And thanks for the comments. When I looked at my submission yesterday I noticed that the distant golfer was too saturated - so I am beginning to see more than I used to. (I have even started to look at shadows when I am out and about!)
Thanks for the work you put into the Challenges - they are a great way of learning.
PS the bird is a sparrowhawk. It landed in our garden having massacred on of our happy little garden birds. But it did stay long enough for me to take a photo

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Posted on 11/03/11 09:52:03 AM

james
Surreal Spoofer
Posts: 1194

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Thank you Steve. If you consider the work good enough you are welcome to use it.

Posted on 11/03/11 10:06:24 AM

Niavlys1980
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Posts: 8

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Bonjour à tous!

Heureux de rejoindre la communauté et d'apprendre des astuces sur photoshop...!
Voici mon premier test!!!
Au plaisir de vous lire...
Niavlys

Posted on 11/03/11 10:14:45 AM

Niavlys1980
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Posts: 8

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Quelques petits soucis!!! le voilà!!!

Posted on 11/03/11 10:46:40 AM

Sophie
Political Parodist
Posts: 595

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Welcome to the forum Sylvain and a nice challenge idea.

Posted on 11/03/11 10:49:34 AM

Sophie
Political Parodist
Posts: 595

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Thanks Steve.

Posted on 11/03/11 11:47:00 AM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 7052

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Niavlys1980 wrote:
Bonjour à tous!

Heureux de rejoindre la communauté et d'apprendre des astuces sur photoshop...!
Voici mon premier test!!!
Au plaisir de vous lire...
Niavlys

Bonjour, Sylvain! Une belle image pour votre première fois... j'aime les montagnes içi, et la lumière dans le ciel. Bienvenue chez notre communauté.

Posted on 11/03/11 12:14:09 PM

Niavlys1980
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Posts: 8

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Bonjour Steve,
merci pour les commentaires... Ravis de vous rejoindre :-)
à tout bientôt

Sylvain

Posted on 11/03/11 7:29:35 PM

Garfield72
Montage Manceau
Posts: 353

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Thank you Steve, I used the tool liquify for the giant ripple in the grass.

Bienvenue à Sylvain, un francophone de plus!

Posted on 11/03/11 7:49:43 PM

Marty
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Posts: 39

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Steve, I fiddled with the scale of the man in the kayak for quite a while. I actualy started out smaller but he didn't look right. Looking at it again he is oviously to large and narrow. Thanks for your comments.

Posted on 11/03/11 7:58:12 PM

Jota120
Ingenious Inventor
Posts: 2615

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Re: Challenge 341: Crazy Golf

Thanks again Steve,

Congratulations Puffin!

Bienvenue sur le forum Sylvain! Great work. J'ai hâte de contributions plus.

Steve Caplin wrote:
I mean, I get the golfer in the jungle, and I like the gorillas, but why is there a dead man merging into a piece of rock? It's this kind of added detail that makes me think I'm missing something. Of course, there will be an explanation that's perfectly logical.

Well...
-a) when Man started to build a golf course in the Mountain Gorilas' home habitat, it was the last straw/branch. The silverback and his troop set up an ambush to fight back (gorila-warfare?

). The fate of the next golfer is going to be the same as the first as he follows the course.. bit gory, 18+ version, but..
..or..
-b) PG version: He is not dead: golfing can be viewd as one of Man's strangest activities, especially if you are not human, but when he starts taking mud baths in the forest its even more weird! Silverback looks on perplexed, but I guess elephants etc do it, so we are not alone

Either PS way he was not meant to be part of the rock, just the muddy earth. I thought the forground leaves on the rock established that, but I was rushed. Critique taken thanks.

Oh, by the way, he is playing a game of Pitch-and-putt of course rather then pure Golf.. I'll stick to Crazy Golf.

The new FC challange should be fun, and should have time now!! Goat on a motorbike that's a good start...